Tag: 3.2 Carrera

As I made my way home yesterday evening I couldn’t help but notice the number of drivers basking in the waning sunlight, taking advantage of an open air cockpit. We are smack in the heart of convertible season so why not enjoy some top-door motoring in classic style! This 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet, located in New York, would be an excellent car to have out on any evening fully appreciating the sound of the 3.2 liter air-cooled flat-six engine behind your ears.

As any Porschephile knows, the marque loves to produce special edition variants, especially of the 911, to signify various milestones in the brand’s life. So when it came time for the 250,000th 911 to roll off the line, Porsche surely couldn’t let that milestone pass by without recognition. Built in 1987 as a model year 1988 car, the Commemorative Edition 911 (also referred to as the Jubilee Edition) featured Diamond Blue Metallic paint on the exterior, with matching Fuchs wheels, and a Silver Blue Metallic interior with Porsche script on the headrests. Other than a short-throw shifter, the Commemorative Edition was mechanically similar to a standard 3.2 Carrera with G50 5-speed transmission. The example featured here is a Cabriolet, located in Miami, and has seen a very reasonable 37,198 miles.

There has been a decent bit of discussion lately concerning the current prices for air-cooled 911s and whether they’re being over valued. Much of that discussion has been concerned with a variety of rare variants that have seen very high prices. We might then wonder about the standard 3.2 Carrera and whether those prices too have shot up. The short answer is yes. The car featured here should provide us with a reasonable barometer of the current market for a classic 911 from the ’80s. Here we have a Black on Black 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera, located in New York, which has seen 57,000 miles. The value of this particular 911 should be buoyed by a couple of factors: 1) it comes from the final year of classic 911 production so it will be as refined as these cars get, including possessing the very desirable G50 5-speed manual transmission and 2) it has the factory sport seats.

For a buyer thinking about his first Porsche we still come back to the 3.2 Carrera and 911SC as the ideal models from which to choose. Both still represent good value since driver-quality examples in very good condition can still be found without too much trouble and each gives an interested buyer a chance to experience the mystique of the air-cooled Porsches that are so prized by enthusiasts and collectors alike. Among the standard cars, the most desirable tend to come from the final three years of 3.2 Carrera production as it is those cars that came with the upgraded G50 5-speed manual transmission. The car we have featured here is just such a car: a 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera, located in Michigan, with just under 84K miles that is on auction with no reserve.

Last week we featured this M491-optioned Carrera Coupe. It sold for its Buy It Now price of $47,000, which at the time of writing I felt was high within the current market. I was wrong. It comes as little surprise then that almost immediately after that auction ended another M491-optioned Carrera appeared on the market, though this time a Cabriolet. Coincidence? Possibly, but we see this sort of thing happen often enough that I assume the second seller is capitalizing on the market, and I wouldn’t blame him. Here we have a M491-optioned 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet, located in Connecticut, with 50,805 miles on the clock.

The Porsche 930 is a favorite of ours here at GCFSB. It helped to shape and define the legacy of the 911 during a time when the future of the model was uncertain. Unfortunately, while it was produced from 1975-1989, there was a period in which it was unavailable in the US. From 1980 until its reintroduction in 1986, the 930 was absent from the US lineup and buyers only had the standard 3.2 Carrera as an option. In 1984, however, Porsche made available the M491 option package. The M491 package was a wide-body 3.2 Carrera with suspension and braking sourced from the 930, but it retained the naturally aspirated 3.2 liter flat-six of the standard 911. So, less powerful than a 930, but with improved cornering and braking relative to a 3.2 Carrera, along with the added benefit of being less of a potential maintenance headache. Typically very well regarded and we don’t come across them too often, but we have one here: a Black on Black 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera with the M491 package, located in Ohio.

For buyers looking to get into their first 911 the choice still comes down to the cars of the late ’70s and the ’80s: either the 911SC or the 3.2 Carrera. Even as the market for an air-cooled 911 accelerates these remain reasonable bargains, especially if your goal is to own a driver quality example, rather than a collector. With either model performance is capable and promises miles of smile-inducing motoring all within the classic 911 design. The example featured here fits these parameters well: a Meteor Grey 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera located in Michigan. The mileage is high (nearly 160K) and it’s the model year prior to Porsche’s switch to the G50 5-speed manual. For a collector those facts can be problematic, but for someone looking for a driver, they may be minor.

As the market for an air-cooled 911 continues to propel itself along the number of rare 1980’s variants we see coming up for sale appears to be increasing as well. Recently, we’ve seen a fairly large number of Slantnose 930s for sale and while there have been fewer we have also come across a number of Speedsters. There is a certain irony to all of this given that in most regards the 911SC and 3.2 Carrera of the ’80s represent some of the best values in the 911 line. The Slantnose and the Speedster, however, do not as most will easily sell for six figures. Here we have a Guards Red 1989 Porsche 911 Speedster with Black interior located in New York.

We’ve seen the ways in which a rare exterior color can influence the market for a classic 911 and though we don’t across this as often we do see similar circumstances with a rare interior color. In many ways, that makes sense because as the owner it is the interior that is most apparent and provides us as drivers with our interface with the car. An interesting interior serves to inspire the feelings created within us on any drive, but a boring interior can make even some exciting cars feel more pedestrian. This all brings us to the car featured here: a Guards Red 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa with just over 34K miles on the clock and a really nice Linen leather interior.

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